Must Love Cowboys

by Cheryl Brooks

  Not so in Wyoming. The guys had built a fire in the mess hall stove every night since my arrival, and if there were any tulips planted around the bunkhouse, they certainly weren’t blooming. With plenty of blankets on my bed, I hadn’t been cold, but the thought of snuggling up with a nice, warm cowboy had a definite appeal. If I was going to stay forever, as Sonny had suggested, I would have to look into getting a bigger bed so Wyatt could stay all night.

  But first, I had to go shopping for condoms.

  Imagine that.

  I’d already pulled on jeans and a sweater when Ophelia scratched at the door. After letting her in, I stepped out onto the porch and peered up at the hill to the east. At the moment, anyone hiding out up there would be rendered invisible by the blinding glare of the sun.

  Shaking off the creepy feeling of being watched, I went into the kitchen and put the coffee on.

  * * *

  Despite downing two cups of coffee that was strong enough to lift weights, I could barely keep my eyes open at the breakfast table. Wyatt, on the other hand, was as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as a young squirrel.

  Bad analogy. He’s more like a—oh, bloody hell, I don’t know.

  I needed that tequila, and I needed it now. As soon as the guys headed out for the day, I was downing a shot and taking a nap. Then I realized I hadn’t done my “day ahead” preparation for lunch. My brain was so fried, I couldn’t think of a single thing to fix.

  “Don’t suppose you all would mind giving me some lunch ideas, would you?”

  “Just throw together some sandwiches,” Nick replied. “I’ll help you.”

  I squinted at him, wondering how much he knew about Wyatt’s activities after the search for the bad guys.

  Or was “outlaws” a better word?

  Wyatt McCabe and his trusty sidekick, Nick Reno, searched the premises to no avail. The outlaws remain at large. They could have been characters in an old Western. Wyatt would be the sheriff and Nick could be his deputy.

  My God, I need sleep.

  “Sounds good.” Yawning, I leaned forward, resting my chin on my hand. I knew there was cheese and lunch meat somewhere, probably in the fridge.

  Yeah. That’s it. The fridge. And bread. We definitely have bread.

  “There’s plenty of fruit salad left,” Bull said. “We’ll take that with us.”

  I nodded. I must’ve fallen asleep at some point during the preparations because by the time my mind cleared, I’d chopped up every apple, orange, grape, and strawberry in sight. It was a wonder I hadn’t lost a finger. For the edible nature of the biscuits and gravy, I could only credit divine intervention.

  At least, I assumed it had been edible. There wasn’t any gravy left and only a few crumbs marked the plate where the biscuits had been.

  Not even enough to send to the lab for testing if someone gets sick.

  That someone would probably be me. I already had a dull sort of stomachache. Probably from the vigorous sex. Apparently sex with Wyatt and the subsequent lack of sleep weren’t good for my mental or physical health. I wondered how he would react if I were to tell him never to visit my bedroom again.

  No. I wasn’t that messed up. I would get used to it eventually, and if the heated looks Wyatt was giving me over the breakfast table were any indication, he intended to give me plenty of practice.

  “I, um, need to go to the store,” I said during a momentary break in the chatter. “We’re out of…stuff.”

  Dusty seemed oblivious to the nuances of the conversation, the light I’d seen on the hillside during the night having been so thoroughly discussed, no one had much chance to speculate on what might’ve happened afterward. “Yeah. Angela usually goes shopping on Fridays. We kinda missed that this week. One of the guys can go with you if you need help.”

  I nodded, then waited to see who would volunteer.

  No one said a word.

  Dean was bound to be a little miffed with me. Wyatt probably didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that we had become an item. I was pretty sure that Joe, being the foreman, couldn’t be spared from duty. Bull had yet to mention the possibility of my sainthood, but being his sole companion for several hours might bring it to the fore. Nick and Sonny had probably never been grocery shopping in their lives.

  I felt like I had the night before when I’d left the mess hall so abruptly. I wanted to curl up and disappear, or get on the road and head for home. This thing with Wyatt wasn’t going to be my happily ever after. I was stupid to even think it. People’s lives didn’t change that much in only a few days.

  “I can go by myself. You all have enough to do. Guess I’d better get started on lunch.” I didn’t give them the chance to make another offer. I rose from my chair and headed for the kitchen. Snatching up a loaf of bread, I yanked off the twist tie and began laying out slices in a row across the counter. Filling their stomachs was the only thing I was good for. That and the occasional fuck. Not being loved. No one had ever said anything about love.

  I slapped together the sandwiches and had them packed up and ready to go before anyone bothered to carry their empty plates into the kitchen. Did they take Sundays off? Probably not. Livestock had to be fed no matter what day it was. Maybe their dishwashing rotation didn’t include Sundays. That was fine with me. I was nothing but a drudge anyway. I could do it myself. I didn’t need help. I didn’t need anyone.

  I glanced at Ophelia, who was looking up at me as though hoping I would drop a tasty morsel at any moment.

  Even my dog only wants food.

  Just to prove my point, I tossed her a piece of roast beef, which she gobbled up in seconds.

  “See? That’s all anyone wants from me.” I dashed angry tears from my eyes. Oh, yes. I was hot stuff when Calvin was in the hospital and the guys were hungry. They couldn’t fool me. They were only buttering me up so I wouldn’t leave before he came home.

  Speaking of which, he might be coming home that day. I would clean his room some more, then I could pack my suitcase and get on the road to—

  Where was it I’d wanted to go? Vegas? Denver? In my current mood, Vegas wasn’t a good idea. I would gamble away all of the ready cash and end up begging on the street. Or selling my services.

  Yuck.

  The rational part of my brain finally spoke up. None of that would happen. I had a credit card that wasn’t anywhere near to being maxed out. I would stay until Calvin felt like cooking again. Of course I would. This crazy mood was just—

  Oh, bloody hell.

  Quite literally, in fact. I wasn’t crazy. I had only been suffering from an unusually severe case of PMS.

  No sex tonight.

  Chapter 17

  No wonder none of the guys had offered to go shopping with me. They must have figured the “stuff” I needed involved the current phase of my menstrual cycle, which was understandable considering my vague terminology and halting speech. Condoms were probably the last things any of them would have guessed.

  Well, maybe not everyone. Wyatt should’ve known what I needed, and Dean probably suspected. How much the rest of them knew was unclear. In a way, I wanted to come clean and confess, thus eliminating the need for secrecy and nipping any misunderstandings in the bud, especially if one of the requirements for sainthood in Bull’s religion was chastity.

  Nah, probably not. After all, Bull had been the one to notice the hickey.

  Once lunch was taken care of, I plopped three chuck roasts in the slow cooker along with some red wine and mushrooms so I could make the drive into town without having to worry too much about dinner.

  It occurred to me then that whoever was watching the bunkhouse might simply be waiting for everyone to leave. Nighttime surveillance was explainable pretty much the same way; anyone wishing to sneak in unnoticed could only do so when the lights were out and everyone was asleep.

  And d
o what? Raid the freezer? The best I could tell, there wasn’t anything of significant value in the bunkhouse, unless it was something that was valuable only to our prowler. The barn, on the other hand, was probably full of expensive items. Saddles weren’t cheap, and I’d seen several of them in the tack room.

  I dismissed that idea after realizing the fence-cutting episodes required the men to be out for long periods of time during the day, and the best saddles were probably those in use. Additionally, nothing had been reported stolen before my arrival, when presumably the bunkhouse had been empty for much of the day and the barn was unattended.

  But what if the perpetrator was waiting for me to leave? Going to the store would allow ample time for someone to break in and search the place, although actually breaking in wouldn’t be necessary. Each door might have had a lock, but I was probably the only one who used them, and only on the doors to my room.

  I glanced up as Dean entered.

  “Lunch ready?” he asked.

  I nodded. “It’s all there in the cooler. Listen, I’m wondering if maybe one of you guys shouldn’t stick around here until I get back. With me gone, whoever’s watching the place could easily come in and search at their leisure.”

  He scratched his chin. “You think that’s the reason for the cut fences? So someone could search the bunkhouse?”

  “Seems the most obvious, doesn’t it? The fence problems stopped about the time I arrived, and I doubt it was because they’d already found what they were looking for. Not if someone is still prowling around.”

  “Maybe. That’s about the only explanation that makes any sense.” He hesitated, frowning. “Especially since Angela and Mr. Kincaid are nearly always up at the house. They might not notice someone sneaking in down here, although I can’t imagine why anyone would want to do that.”

  The phone rang, interrupting any further discussion. “That’s probably Angela.” I wiped my hands on a dish towel, then reached for the receiver.

  “Hey, Tina,” Angela said. “Just calling to let y’all know Calvin is being released today. Not sure when, and it’ll take us about four hours or so to get home after we leave here, but I’m guessing we’ll be there by dinnertime.”

  “Great! I’ll tell the guys. I’m going into Rock Springs today. Anything you need from the store?”

  “Not that I know of.” She giggled. “If we time it right, we’ll pass each other on the highway.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” Knowing that Angela had more experience shopping for a crowd, I was about to suggest they pick up the groceries when I realized Calvin probably wouldn’t feel up to it, nor did I want to ask Angela to buy the “stuff” I needed.

  She gave me the name of the store where she normally shopped and told me how to get there. “Have Dusty give you some grocery money before you go.”

  “Will do.” I certainly wouldn’t be using any of that money for condoms. That is, if I could bring myself to actually buy them in the first place. I consoled myself with the fact that I’d never been to Rock Springs before. No one would know me or remember me after I left.

  I had just hung up the phone, thinking that with two additional mouths to feed, I’d better up the number of chuck roasts to four, when a tap on my shoulder reminded me I wasn’t alone.

  With a quirky grin, Dean took my hand, placed a small package on my palm, and closed my fingers around it. Pressing a finger to his lips, he mimed silence, then picked up the cooler and sauntered out.

  When I opened my hand, a strip of three condoms wrapped in what appeared to be a rather extensive shopping list unfolded on my palm.

  He might have kept the other three hoping to use them himself, but his willingness to share proved that Dean was nothing if not a good sport.

  * * *

  After receiving a huge wad of cash from Dusty and learning that Mr. Kincaid planned to hang around the bunkhouse and wait for Angela and Calvin’s return, Ophelia and I set out.

  Only about an hour away, Rock Springs was a good-sized town and not at all difficult to navigate. I found the store Angela had suggested and proceeded to buy more food in one day than I normally purchased in two months. Interestingly enough, I discovered that buying condoms was no more embarrassing than buying tampons, especially when they were purchased together. My dilemma was in trying to decide which type to get.

  In the end, I bought the same kind Dean had given me, hoping he’d at least had enough experience with such things to know which brand was the best.

  I grabbed lunch at a drive-through before heading back to the ranch, feeling almost, but not quite, like I was going home. I’d been living there for several days, and in that time, I’d taken on a new job, been kissed by three cowboys, lost my virginity, and learned more about Calvin and his family than I would be comfortable having anyone know about me. Perhaps Calvin and I were even now. Grandpa had obviously reported on my progress from time to time, and I really didn’t mind that, but the letters he’d sent had been intended for Calvin’s eyes only. With Calvin incapacitated, reading his letters to Grandpa had seemed like a reasonable course of action. Now that he’d improved, it only seemed nosy.

  Had Angela informed Calvin of his sister’s death? Somehow I doubted it. Better to let him come home and settle in before getting hit with the bad news.

  I arrived at the ranch, having followed a vehicle that turned out to be Angela’s.

  “Looks like we didn’t pass on the highway after all,” she said when I pulled up alongside her truck. She opened the passenger door and waited while Calvin climbed down from the cab.

  For a man who had recently been through a near-death experience, he looked surprisingly good. His color was certainly better, although he moved more stiffly than before. Ophelia approached him cautiously, tilting her head as she sniffed the air around him, just as she’d done when we brought Grandpa home from the hospital for the last time.

  Calvin gave her a pat and then smiled at me. “Been keepin’ the boys fed?”

  “Sure have,” I replied. “Dunno how you did it and still had time for riding and roping.”

  “Can’t say I’ve been doin’ as much of that sort of thing as I used to. Not lately, anyway.” Somehow, I suspected that was as close to an admission of weakness as he intended to give. “Hope they haven’t given you any trouble.”

  “Not a bit,” I insisted, although any number of things they’d done could be construed as such. My hymen would certainly never recover.

  He held out a hand. “I understand I have you to thank for me not bein’ six feet under.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said as I shook his hand. “But I can’t take all the credit. Wyatt and Nick are the real heroes. All I did was yell for help.”

  “Which you couldn’t have done if you’d ignored what you heard.”

  I shrugged. “Naturally curious, I guess.” Did he truly recall tapping out SOS on the wall, or had Angela filled him in on the details?

  “That wasn’t all you did, young lady. I’d been feeling a lot worse lately and figured my time was coming, but seeing you here and knowing your grandpa had died, well, that made me want to take better care of myself. Guess I left it a little too late.”

  “You seem to be on the right track now,” I said. “You look much better, anyway.”

  Angela beamed. “He hasn’t smoked a cigarette since he woke up.”

  “Yeah, well, in a smoke-free hospital, that’s not hard to do,” Calvin said, chuckling. “Need help with those groceries?”

  I laughed along with him, pleased to see he hadn’t lost his sense of humor. “Nope. I got this. Besides, I’m guessing you aren’t supposed to be doing any heavy lifting.” I glanced at my watch. “You’ve got plenty of time to rest before I have to start on dinner. We can talk more after I get this stuff put away.”

  He patted my arm. “Your grandpa always said you were a good girl, Ti
na.”

  “I’m sure he did.” I let out a short laugh. “Just don’t believe everything you hear.”

  Mr. Kincaid opened the kitchen door and stepped out onto the landing. “Well, look who it is,” he said, grinning. “Get on in here, Calvin. I’ve got a nice fire goin’ in the mess hall.”

  Truth be told, I wouldn’t have minded a little help. My car’s cargo-carrying capacity had been stretched to the point that if I’d taken one of the guys with me, he would’ve had to ride home on the roof. Nevertheless, I waited until Calvin and Angela were inside before popping the trunk lid. I had gathered up several grocery bags when a peculiar prickling sensation on my nape made me steal a glance at the hillside. No movement this time, but I still felt like I was being watched.

  Anger flared and I whirled around, blatantly staring at that spot and shouting, “I know you’re up there, you creep! You’d better get lost before I sic my dog on you!”

  “You tell ’em, Tina!” Nick chuckled as he emerged from the barn, leading a dark brown horse. “Although I’m not sure that’s much of a threat.”

  To my credit, I somehow managed not to scream or jump out of my skin. “She only seems timid. She’s actually quite fierce.”

  “Uh-huh,” he said with a skeptical nod. “Sure she is.”

  “Don’t make me prove it,” I snapped. I was just rattled enough to be a bit testy. “What’re you doing here anyway?”

  “My horse went lame. Had to bring him back and get another one.”

  His innocent tone and bland expression seemed almost rehearsed, making me wonder whether the men had been returning at regular intervals to keep an eye on the bunkhouse. “Any fences down?”

  He shook his head. “Haven’t found any so far. Didn’t see anyone up on that hill, either.” He nodded at the grocery bags dangling from my fingers. “Need help?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Dropping the reins, he left the horse and started toward me. “Don’t worry,” he said, obviously noting my gasp of surprise. “He won’t run off.”